Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	heart_n	law_n	lord_n	21,919	5	6.6127	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A79865	The wise taken in their craftiness, and their wisdom made manifest to be foolishness with God; and their actions discovered to be contrary to the pure law of righteousness given forth by the pure law-giver, Christ Jesus the light; by which light some one judge, or judges of this nation are made manifest, how he, or they have acted contrary to the law of God, and the law of this nation; and contrary to all the kings, rulers, and judges, spoken of in Scripture; by setting fines upon men, and sending them to prison till payment of the same, for not putting off their hats, and stand bare-headed before them in their court of assises, and goal-delivery. Also, here is shewed, that it is no sin for a man to stand with his hat on his head, before any emperor, king, ruler, judge, justice, or other magistrate, either alone, or in open court; neither is the putting the hat off, and standing, bare-headed before them, the honour that is due unto magistrates, which the Scripture speaks of. / VVritten by, me who am known by the name of Henry Clark.	Clark, Henry, 17th cent.	1656 (1656)	Wing C4459; Thomason E882_3; ESTC R207280	20,416	20

by writing preaching or other wayes inform openly or in secret contrary to the Catholike Faith and determination of holy Church as they called it and the Pope should be counted Hereticks and openly be burned to the view of all people and so eager saith the History of those passages were the Bishops and the Clergy the Suffragans Abbots Priors Deans Arch-Deacons Priests Canons Parsons Vicars Chaplains and Clerks to have those called Hereticks to be burned that after they had passed definitive Sentence upon Tho. Saultre and delivered him over to the secular powers for them to burn him according to their invented Law that for fear it should not be done speedily enough they called upon the King who was ready enough to satisfie their blood-thirsty humors who made made a strict Decree and sent it to the then Mayo● and Sher ffs of London requiring them to take the said Tho. Saul●r● whom they had in their custody and to put him in the fire and burn him openly and really to the great horror of his offence which was accordingly done and many more after him as the History relates And this cruel bloody invention lasted till Queen Maries dayes and a little after for see if there were not some of those called Anabaptists burned in queen Elizabeths dayes And so you may see here how man whom God created upright Eccles 7.26 sought out many wicked inventions and plotted against the just and set themselves and took counsel together against the Lord and against his annoynted and imagined mi●chief both by a Law and without a Law saying Let us break their bonds asunder cast away their cords from off us Psa 2.3 and as the heathen did rage then so they do now and as the people imagined vain things then so they do now in these dayes imagine vain things and seek out new inventions whereby to afflict the servants of the living God So here followeth a new Invention sought out by mans imagination and in mans will is acted as he sits in Judgement so called for which he hath neither Law from God or man to bear him out in passing his Sentence as some of those who are counted grave wise Judges of this Land have done upon some of those people called quakers and setting a Fine of twenty Marks a piece upon them and sent them to prison to lye there till payment of the same and for their so doing I say they have neither Law from God nor no Law of this Nation to bear them out but what is done in this case is done without any law upon the innocent who have transgressed no law by standing with their hats on their heads in open Court before the Justices of Assises for the which they are fined twenty Marks a piece and sent to prison till payment of the same for where there is no law there is no tran●gression therefore the parties are innocent in this thing by keeping their hats on their heads and not putting them off to stand bare-headed before them in the Court and where there is no law to transgress there ought no sentence to pass upon any man for punishment to be inflicted either by death or loss of limb bani●hment or imprisonment nor no Fine set to to the confiscation of Goods unless there were a law given with a penalty thereunto to be inflicted upon the transgressors thereof And therefore I say Whatsoever Judge or Justice that passeth Judgement upon any man or men for which he hath no law acts in his own will and by his own invention contrary to the rule of the law which is holy just pure and good given forth by the pure law giver Christ Jesus and is written in their heart according to the Covenant of God who saith he hath shewed thee O man what is good and what the Lord doth require of thee but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God who standeth in the Congregation of the mighty and judgeth among the Iudges saying How long will ye judge unjustly and accept the persons of the wicked saith the Lord defend the poor and fatherless do justice to the afflicted and needy Psa 82. You Judges the Lord God saith You must deliver the POORE and NEEDY and rid them out of the hands of the wicked and see that ye respect no mans person in judgement for with the Lord there is no respect of persons nor taking of gifts Therefore you are not to judge for man but for the Lord and upon the Transgressors of the Law are you to inflict punishment and not upon the just as some of you have done here in England upon some of those people called quakers for not putting off their hats and not standing bareheaded before you in your Court and for no other thing whom ye ought to have set at liberty and so have rid them out of the hands of the wicked for I tell that if they had put off their hats and stood bare-headed before you respecting your persons then they had transgressed the law as saith the Scripture for James a witness of Christ James 2.9 and a Minister of the Word said but if ye have respect to persons ye commit sin and are convinced of the Law as Transgressors for whosoever shall offend in one point he is guilty of all and he that respecteth mens persons hath not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ for Christ Jesus said How can ye beleeve that receive honour one of another and seek not the honour that cometh from God only Christ Jesus leaving us an example Joh. 5.44 1 Pet. 2.21 Mat. 22.16 Mark 12.14 Luke 20.21 1 Joh. 3.4 6 8 9 10. that we should follow his steps who respected no mans person And God saith Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgement thou shalt not respect the person of the poore nor honour the person of the mighty he that respecteth mens persons committeth sin by transgressing the Law for every sin is the transgression of the Law and he that committeth sin is not of God but of the devil as ●aith the Scripture but every knee shall bow to the Name of Iesus and every tongue shall confess him to be Lord and King and the Lord God alone is to be worshipped and the people of his Pasture and the sheep of his hand they worship him in spirit and in truth and come and bow and kneel down before the Lord their Maker and not to man Mordecai would not bow to Haman nor do him reverence according to the Kings command which was contrary to Gods command Shadrach M sh●ch and Abednigo would not bow down to the golden Image that the King had set up nor worship his Gods according to the Kings command which was contrary to Gods command ANd yet I say that the great God of heaven and earth commands every soul to be subject to the higher powers for conscience sake which are ordained of God and likewise to

love the Lord your God Did Gideon Jeptha Deborah Sampson Eli Samuel or any other of the Judges that judged Israel command the people to put off their hats and to stand bare-headed before them or fine and send any to prison to lie there till payment of the said fine for not putting their hats off and standing not bare-headed before them Or did any of the Kings of Israel and Judah that feared the Lord as David Solomon Jehosaphat Josiah or Hezekiah or others that feared the Lord command any man to put off his hat and to stand bare-headed before them Or if they did not did any one of them fine any man and send him to prison to lie there till payment of the said fine as some of the Judges of this Nation have done to some of those people called quakers Or did any of those Kings give any charge to the Judges so to do to the people that did not put off their hats and stand bare-headed before them yea or nay For I finde that Jehosaphat set Judges in the Land throughout all the fenced Cities of Judah City by City and he said to the Judges Take heed what ye do 2 Chro. 19.5 6 7. for ye judg not for man but for the Lord who is with you in judgment Wherefore said he now let the fear of the Lord be upon you take heed and do it for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God nor respect of persons nor taking of gifts and in this charge to all the Judges by Jehosaphat here was no mention made of hats or did any of the idolatrous Kings ot Israel and Judah as Rehoboam Jeroboam Zimri Ahab Zedekiah or others of those Kings command the people to put off their hats and to stand bare-headed before them or did they set fines upon any of the people that did not put off their hats and stand bare headed before them or send them to prison till payment of the same yea or nay Or did any of the heathen Kings which the Scripture speaks of as Pharoah King of Egypt or Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon or Caesar Herod or others fine any man and lend him to prison to lie there till payment of the said fine for not putting off their hats and standing not bare-headed before them yea or nay You Judges of England who have done thus see if you have any precedent for what you have done or any example in all the Scriptures and if you have not then to that of God in every one of your consciences that bears me witness that you have exceeded all the Kings Rulers and Judges that ever have gone before you in this invention that ye have sought out now of late And what do you make a profession of God and of Christ and seek out inventions And are not you ashamed that you are discovered by the light to be in the inventions and to exceed therein beyond the very Heathen that have gone before you which are spoken of in the Scripture I am sure you have no example from Oliver Protector for this for he never set any fine upon any man no nor sent any man to prison for standing with his hat on his head before him neither did I ever hear that he was offended with any man or men for their so doing and I am sure that he and his Council have not made any Law for you to act so by if they had it would have been published as well as others have been And seeing you have no example from Oliver Protector nor any Law from him and his Council for your so doing then I appeal to all understanding men whether you do not disgrace his Government and dishonor him the chief Ruler of the Common-wealth by doing such things in the Corners of the Land in his name for which you have neither Law nor Example from him for your so doing whom ye ought to honor as well as others And now to you the Judges who have set fines upon men and sent them to prison to lie there till payment of the same for nothing but because they could not for conscience sake towards God and in respect to your persons put off their hats and stand bare-headed before you I say Stand still a little while and commune with your own hearts and see whether you have kept the Law of God and judged for the Lord in this thing or whether you have not gone beyond the rule that God hath shewed you that is He hath shewed thee O Man what is good and what the Lord doth requ●re of thee but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God Have you done thus yea or nay Or Judges Oath 18 Ed. 3. Stat. 3. see if ye have done according to your own Law and Oath that is That ye shall do even Law and execution of right to all Subjects rich and poor without having ●egard to any person and in case any Letters come to you contrary to the Law that yee do nothing by such Letters and go forth and do the Law and by the Law no man of what estate or condition that he be Anno 28 Ed. 3. ch 3. shall be put from his Land or Tenement or taken and imprisoned or dis-inherited or put death without being brought into answer by due process of Law now see if yee have gone according to your own rule and kept within your own bounds and if yee have not kept within your own rule which is but mans Law neither have you any Law from God to act so by then consider How do you think to execuse your selves when the Lord God shall call you to an account and say VVho hath required this at your hands What answer will you make him What have you to shew whereby to justifie your selves How do you think to stand before the Lord in judgement that have done such things against his servants who saith Touch not mine annoynted and do my Prophets no harm and you that have touched them have touched the apple of his eye for they are his Jewels and Christ sayes What ye have done unto them he takes as done unto himselfe Therefore I tell you it were better for you that you had never been born or that a milstone were hanged about your necks and you cast into the Sea then to offend the least of these little ones except you speedily repent Be wise therefore now O yee Kings be instructed ye Iudges of the earth serve the Lord with fear serve him in love and in singleness of heart Kiss the Sun lest he be angry and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled while you have time prize it and humble your selves before the Lord and submit your selves under the mighty power of God For now is the day of your visitation and to day if ye will hear his voyce harden not your hearts but fear the Lord God which is the beginning of wisdom which will guide you to do true judgement and the fear of the Lord is to depart from iniquity This is written to be printed that every Ruler Judge and Justice or other Officer in this Nation may each have one and that those friends into whose hands this book shall come may send them to those Rulers Judges or Justices that they know that all they who have not yet acted such things as is herein contained may if they fear the Lord and rule and judge for him be prevented and that the other may be left without excuse that are without his fear acting in their own wills by their own inventions against the Lord and against his annoynted Henry Clark The End